Ya ne Govoru Po Ruskie

Ha I must look less like a foreigner without my big bear coat on, or perhaps I look less angry, but I was asked two times today for directions. Does this mean I'm a Tyumenite, officially a member of the community, no longer an alien?

I say 'they asked for directions' but really they could have been saying anything because, well, I have no idea what they were saying. It was all Russian to me. But at least it forced me to use my newly acquired knowledge of the Russian language. I said, 'Errrr, I don't speak Russian. Sorry.' (but in Russian of course) And then trotted along on my way.

Then I went to the supermarket which I love, because I can avoid speaking to anyone and looking like a fool, but which I don't like so much when I'm trying to figure out what the heck it is that I'm buying. And their choice of cerials is very limited - limited to only Nestle in fact. I said to myself 'kak eta Kellogs?' So anyway I digress, what I was meaning to say was that when I went to the checkout, which very handily shows the price of the goods on a little screen, the woman started speaking to me, and again I pulled out my 'ignorant foreigner' card and said 'Errrrr'.

But I also need to explain that I think I was a bit harsh on the food the other day, I'd just like to point out that the food, when cooked by a landlady or a Babushka or a Russian friend, is delicious (but don't drink the tap water, oh no noo no). And today I discovered some delicious biscuits and some very exciting pickled things - it seems that if it is exposed for one second, no matter what it is, it's pickled and put in a Russian supermarket. And they have a marvellous selection of different fruit juices all fresh and with no extras just the fruit and their bits. So y'know it's not so bad but I did still get a few tins of beans, of the baked variety, not pickled.